


Frotting

by knight_of_trash



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Keith (Voltron), Alpha!Keith, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, But what else is new?, Courting Rituals, Fluffy Ending, Frottage, Honestly what was I thinking?, I make the rules, Keith gives into primal urges, Keith is afraid of hurting Lance, Keith knots in his pants, Lance is a horny little shit, Lance paid attention in health class, M/M, Misunderstandings, Omega!Lance, Omegas have vaginas and dicks, Pre-Relationship, Shameless Smut, Smut, These boys are bad at communicating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 09:31:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16637363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knight_of_trash/pseuds/knight_of_trash
Summary: Keith is in pre-rut. A time where alphas should prepare to spend a few days out of commission. Keith didn't see why that prep time couldn't include training. Especially when said training involved honing his hand to hand combat alongside the one and only omega on board the Castle of Lions. Well...In hindsight, he could see why that was a lapse in judgement on his part. It was a calculated risk, to his defense, but man was Keith horrible at math.





	Frotting

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with another A/B/O fic to throw at you after like a year of not doing anything.
> 
> Will I ever write on a consistent basis?
> 
> ...Probably not.
> 
> But hey! Have another prompt filler that took me entirely too long to write.
> 
> If you like my writing, and want to see more from me, maybe you can help me decide how frequently I should post. I have a survey up here, if you wish to participate.:
> 
> https://surveyhero.com/c/e97bd0eb

Keith couldn’t seem to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. The collar of his t-shirt was too tight, far too tight. He tugged at the collar, the cotton much too rough on his sensitive skin despite being soaked with sweat. He felt like he was suffocating, the air was far too warm around the entire damn ship. He could barely do anything about it, of course, except grit his teeth and bare the harsh reality: His suppressants had worn off and he was going into rut. Of course believing one can make it through a rut without doing anything reckless, and actually doing just that is easier said than done. After all, he wasn’t wise in his years nor more reserved like Shiro was. No, Keith was every stereotype for a young male alpha. Agile, aggressive, and fierce. So it made sense that his ruts were stereotypical too. His pre-rut stage, the stage he was currently in, gave him a few short days of prep time before having to lock himself away and let his hormones work themselves out. Still, he didn't see why that prep time couldn't include training. Especially when said training involved honing his hand to hand combat alongside the one and only omega on board the Castle of Lions. Well...In hindsight, he could see why that was a lapse in judgement on his part. It was a calculated risk, to his defense, but man was Keith horrible at math.

Lance was the epitome of "Omega" if Keith had ever seen it. He was graceful in his movements, fluid even, and had the smoothest skin Keith had ever seen. He had a radiance to him that went unmatched, even as he led the fight against Keith in their sparring session, taking the offensive, and gaining ground against Keith with surprising strength for the lanky teen. Keith couldn’t help his wandering eyes as they honed in on every exposed inch of that soft, enticing skin. Granted, it probably didn't help that Keith was not bringing his A game, the young alpha was getting far too distracted by how good the omega looked with his hair clinging to the sweat of his brow to notice Lance’s obvious scheming, not at all hidden behind a wide grin and determined eyes. Plus, in his defense, Lance had superior reach given his five inch height advantage, and he was not afraid to use his long, sinewy legs for sweeping shots at Keith’s lethargic, clumsy footing. He had actually almost successfully toppled the alpha more than once, which was impressive. Luckily for Keith, even though his pre-rut had slowed him sufficiently, he was still faster on his feet than Lance was. He side stepped one of Lance’s more predictable blows, ducking under Lance’s right arm. Keith hooked his right foot around Lance’s as the momentum of the failed mock-punch carried him off balance, tripping the omega.

Lance recovered with what could only be described as a flourish of moves Keith half-recognized as actual dance moves, and something called a “turn-out”. They squared off once more, Lance’s eyes darting around for an opening before taking another shot at Keith’s near impregnable defenses. This time he surprised Keith, aiming a kick high at Keith’s head before dropping quite suddenly, legs hooking around Keith’s and toppling the alpha before he knew it had been a fake-out. The omega then scrambled to pin Keith, and when he finally managed to seat himself on top of the stunned alpha’s hips he let out a victorious whoop. The very sound of Lance’s triumph pulled a possessive growl from deep with Keith’s chest, not because he had been beaten, but because the sound of Lance’s laughter was such a sweet, and precious sound. It was one that Keith knew well, and over the past couple of months, had grown very fond of. If he were being honest with himself, Keith would love nothing more than to here Lance make more sweet, precious sounds from atop his hips, hence the growl.

Lance tensed at the growl before leaning down into Keith’s face and teased, “Aww…Don’t be like that! I won, fair and square. I’m stronger than you. Submit to me, oh mighty alpha!”

That…That was a challenge. A direct challenge. Logically, Keith knew Lance was just being Lance, but pre-rut Keith didn’t care if Lance was an omega, a beta, or an alpha. That was a challenge of strength, and like hell Keith was going to submit to anyone! Be below anyone! Never mind his previous fantasies from thirty seconds ago about having the omega ride him like the wind! He was going to show Lance exactly who was stronger!

In one quick motion, Keith thrust his hips off the floor, throwing off Lance’s center of gravity enough to allow Keith to turn the tables, rolling them and pinning the Cuban boy to the floor with ease. He held Lance so firmly, all Lance could do was grunt and wiggle his knees helplessly in a feeble attempt to take back his position on top, but he soon slackened with a dramatic, defeated huff when he realized he was stuck fast. Still, the omega tried to play being a good sport, and let out a gentle laugh as he accepted his fate. 

“Who’s stronger now?” Keith growled, grinning at his rival.

“Okay, okay…You win!” Lance said in a breathy way that made the lump lurch back into Keith’s throat. Lance licked his lips before saying, “I submit. I submit to you, Keith.”

Those words were music to Keith’s ears, even if they were playful in nature. He felt pride swell in his chest, and allowed himself the pleasure of taking in the sight of the omega below him, admitting that he was the stronger of the two. Lance was smiling up at him with a warm affection, still panting from their sparring, and even if Keith hadn’t been in pre-rut, he would’ve found him breath taking. His ridiculously beautiful eyes sparkled like pools of cool water, and nothing would please Keith more than falling into them if he so could. If nothing more, than to quell the swelling fires that seemed intent on burning him from the inside out.

It was around this time that Keith realized, a bit too late, that this REALLY wasn’t a good idea. The blue paladin smelled fantastic, sweat and all. Keith found his rational mind sinking in a dense fog as he lowered himself to be chest to chest with Lance, nose pressing just under Lance’s jaw and breathing in his glorious scent. Fresh, like a warm spring breeze and water on stone. Lance shifted underneath him, hands moving to cling to Keith’s shoulders, causing him to let out a low, assertive growl from deep within his chest, making the Blue Paladin freeze with a tiny noise, a question dying on Lance’s lips as Keith languidly drug his hips along Lance’s.

“Keith.” Lance purred. The alpha gently teased his teeth along Lance’s scent gland, stimulating it, bringing more of that delicious scent to the surface and letting it stick in the back of his throat. “Keith!” He repeated with a shivered gasp, his fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of Keith’s neck, which only acted to spur Keith on more.

Keith let go of Lance enough for one hand to shove at the shirt the omega was wearing, while the other one pressed his hips into the hard floor. He groaned into Lance’s neck as he rolled his hips in slow circles against the taller teen, now acutely aware of the other paladin’s arousal. Lance’s breath hitched as his own hips stuttered in an attempted thrust to meet Keith’s, but the alpha’s strong hand on his hip made the move clumsy, and missed almost entirely. Lance fought for purchase, arms wrapping around Keith’s shoulders as Keith roughly fondled his chest, fingers tweaking a dusky nipple, earning him a rather loud groan, his back arching off the floor. Sensitive. God Keith could just eat Lance up….

“Keith!” Lance groaned out weakly as the alpha left what was sure to be a hickey just adjacent to his scent gland. Lance yanked the alpha up and away from his neck long enough to catch his gaze. “Quiznak, Keith, you’re so hot…” He pulled Keith down into a searing kiss, hips able to roll off the floor in Keith’s surprise, grinding his own clothed erection against Keith’s.

Keith returned the kiss with vigor, growling as Lance’s long fingers threaded back into his hair giving little tugs at the longest part in the back. Keith broke the kiss to attack the scent gland on the other side of Lance’s neck, hips aggressively rutting against Lance’s in an uneven rhythm. Lance’s legs hooked behind his knees, trying to guide him into a steadier rhythm, but Keith was much too lost, drunk on an unmated omega’s scent, and much too preoccupied with scenting Lance, staking an undeniable claim on him. This was Keith’s omega! His. With a fresh burst of Lance’s scent in his nose, Keith pressed open mouth kisses to Lance’s jawline once more, groaning long and loud in his ear when Lance returned the favor of mouthing at Keith’s scent gland with soft, needy whimpers. Keith felt as though his blood was on fire, every little gasp he pulled from Lance with an even placed thrust as they frotted against one another sent sparks of heat through his body from his scalp to his toes, until he was frantically humping against Lance, their clothing providing a delicious, drag across their almost too sensitive dicks. He felt heat coil in his stomach. He was close. So fucking close!

All it took to send Keith plummeting over the edge, ending their stolen moment as quickly as it had started, was Lance’s grip tightening in his hair as his nails on his other hand raked across Keith’s back hard enough to add an edge of pain to his pleasure, and Lance’s unhinged moan, which he tried to muffle in Keith’s neck, “So close…I’m so close! Alpha…Please!”

Keith’s back spasmed, his pelvis slammed hard against Lance’s hip in an almost painful way as he came with a choked sound, spilling hotly in his pants. His head dropped to Lance’s shoulder as he let out a string of lengthy moans as his knot half inflated unexpectedly, adding to his sensitivity, and making the mess in his underwear even messier, a dark patch already pretty evident on his pants. When the first initial shock waves passed, he collapsed onto Lance with the fullness of his weight, every muscle in his body giving out, despite still feeling stiff, and swearing one of his calves had pulled in their exertions. He let himself wander in the afterglow of it though. His body needed a moment to recover before he could move, and he was more than happy to press his nose into Lance’s abused neck, gulping down his scent like water from an oasis.

As Keith came back to himself, half-knot deflating without warm walls to stimulate it, he realized one of Lance’s hands was still on his back, rubbing small, soothing circles into his tired shoulders while simultaneously trying to coyly grind against Keith, erection still very hard against Keith's thigh. As Lance thrust against him, he lifted his eyes to take in his surroundings, mind still not quite up to speed until his eyes fell on a crumpled heap of a training drone off to their left. The sight of it brought back, with sudden clarity, the rational side of him. Keith shot up, quick to pull himself away from Lance who was laid out before him. He was disheveled, chest heaving, face red, and absolutely beckoning the alpha with his eyes. Keith winced at the feeling of the cooling mess that was barely contained within his pants as it shifted with his movement, the remnants of his failed knotting clung to him as evidence of what he had just done. It was nearly enough to send Keith reeling into a full on panic attack.

Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck shit! He had forced himself onto Lance! Keith had let his instincts and his hormones get the better of him, and he frotted against Lance! …To completion! He never once asked the other paladin for consent! Even though Lance hadn’t exactly said no…In fact, Lance seemed to do everything to spur him on, but that didn’t mean yes, either! Shit shit shit shit shit! The one omega on board the Castle, the one boy Keith happened to have a crush on, and he couldn’t keep it in his fucking pants! Well, he did keep it in his pants…Quite a lot of it in fact. BUT THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT OKAY! Shit shit shit shit shit shit SHIT!!!!

Too many tics must have gone by, because he heard the omega let out a slightly annoyed sigh, propping himself up on an elbow to look at Keith. “Hey…Earth to Keith…Are you going to finish this, or do you always dine and dash?” He muttered with a pout, one hand dipping to palm at his bulge through his jeans. Keith’s post-orgasm addled mind lingered for a moment and wondered, given the definition of it, if Lance was even wearing any underwear, but he quickly shook the dirty thoughts from his head, focusing on the problem that was in front of him.

Keith felt his face flush, embarrassment curling in his gut, but also frustration at Lance himself. Shouldn’t the omega be furious right now? He should be yelling at Keith for what he’s done, not casually making jokes about being a good partner and reciprocating sex! This was a mistake. A huge one! If anyone had seen them…If Shiro had seen them…Keith honestly felt nauseous. Sure, Lance had initiated their kiss, had held him close, and egged him on, but that wasn’t consent enough for Keith! Shiro had taught him to be better than this, to be better than someone who lets his hormones and alpha instincts get the better of him! He couldn’t believe he had lost it so easily like that. He couldn’t believe he just frotted against Lance to completion like a dog! And here Lance was, an unmated omega, nearly raped, and trying too hard to get Keith to bring him to completion. It threw Keith for a dizzying loop, and he had to get away now, unable to trust himself around Lance anymore.

Keith stood abruptly, turning on his heels and marched for the door, unsure what to say, but knowing he needed to get away from Lance as soon as possible. He hugged his arms close to himself, afraid that if he didn’t he wouldn’t be able to breathe through the ensuing panic welling up in his chest.

“Wait! Keith? What are you-?” Lance started. Keith heard him scramble to get to his feet before practically sprinting after him to catch Keith by the shoulder, stopping him. “Keith-“

“Don’t!” Keith warned, retracting from Lance’s grasp as if burned. His voice sounded too strained, too broken to pull off the assertive alpha voice. “This was a mistake! I shouldn’t have tried to train with you! Not when I’m so close to rut! I-…I went too far…” The lump was back in his throat, but this time it was sour with emotion.

Lance’s brows knitted together in confusion, his hands hovering between them, obviously wanting to reach out and bridge the gap between them, but unsure if he was welcome to. “What are you talking about? Keith, if I had wanted you to stop, I would have told you.” He waited a few seconds to see if Keith was listening, letting a hand come to rest on Keith’s shoulder again before adding, “Keith, it’s fine. Nothing happened that I didn’t want to have happen. I mean seriously, you have no idea how wet I am right now! Plus, I did technically submit-”

"Wet?" Keith spun around, slapping Lance’s hand away as his eyes narrowed, cutting off him off, "You're talking about being wet when I could've raped you? I don't care if you're okay with what just happened! What if I didn't want to do it in the first place?!" He took a step towards Lance, getting into his face. "What if I wanted to be better than some rut-mad alpha taking advantage of the nearest, naive omega who'd take anyone who so much looked at them?"

The pain that flashed across Lance’s face was immediate, blue eyes searching Keith’s for sincerity. Keith regretted that almost as quickly as he regretted losing control of himself, but he knew it was necessary…At least he thought it was. He didn’t want to hurt Lance, not really, but he had to do this, if nothing more than to punish himself. He had lost control. He almost-…He could have! It didn’t matter that he didn’t, he could have and that sickened him. Plain and simple. The horror he felt is why he turned without another word, and walked briskly for his room, not stopping for anyone until he made it to his room, punching in his pass code and locking the door.

The moment he was locked in, he took a quaking breath, hands raking through his hair. He paced around his room until the initial panic faded from his chest, allowing him to rest against the wall, sliding down so his knees were tight to his chest. He tried to breathe through the residual panic, but his mind was racing a mile a minute. He had thought, been so fucking sure even, that he was in control of himself and that he wasn’t a slave to his rut! He couldn’t bring himself to count all the things he could’ve lost if he had lost total control. All of his self-respect, Shiro’s respect, the affection of the omega he wanted to properly court, Hunk’s trust-…Hell he was certain that if Hunk found out about what had happened on the training deck at all, he would probably try to kill Keith with his bare hands. He shivered, disgusted with himself. He swore that for the remainder of his rut, he would not even dare to touch himself, not once. It wasn’t the punishment he felt he deserved, but for now, it would do. Even if the beautifully intoxicating scent of the aroused omega still clung to his clothing, teasing him to half-chub as easily as Lance’s words had, he would endure. He had to. If he was ever to trust himself around Lance again, he had to be punished.

-

Lance stood where Keith had left him on the training deck, cock hard and leaking in time with his slit. Keith’s rejection tried to worm its way into his arousal, but he had been so close! The side of his neck still felt hot where Keith had mouthed at him, panted against him. He brought a hand to his neck to feel the warmth that clung to his skin, his fingers brushed against his scent gland, slightly swollen from the stimulation he had received. He wanted to be angry, but it’s a bit hard to think of anything when you were mere seconds away from climax, only to have your partner leave you hanging. Leave it to Keith, the Red Paladin and Guardian of Fire, to be colder than ice.

With a huff of bitter defeat, Lance trudged to his room, grumbling to himself about how unfair it was to deal with his arousal on his own. Granted, despite being desperately horny, he sort of understood where Keith was coming from. He really did. Instincts so primal are hard to control sometimes, Lance wasn’t ignorant to that fact, but he trusted Keith and knew the alpha wouldn’t ever hurt him. It just wasn’t in his nature. He knew Keith wasn’t the type of guy to force himself onto anyone. If Lance had at all felt in danger he would’ve been able to stop it. Still, Keith hadn’t done a single thing Lance hadn’t wanted. He did, after all, formally submit to the alpha’s whims. He had actually fantasized extensively about his first sexcapade with the alpha. Did he ever think grinding on each other in the middle of the training deck would be their “first time” let alone their first kiss? No, but it was nothing if not passionate, which is what he craved from Keith. Passion, fire, and desire…God he wanted it all with Keith! He just didn’t quite understand why Keith had been so upset. Could he not see how badly Lance wanted this? Did he not think the omega liked him?

Once he was in the solitude of his room, he shimmied out of his jeans, thankful that he had opted out of wearing underwear, but saddened the alpha hadn’t quite discovered his dirty little secret. One hand dove down, fingers bypassing his cock to tease his sopping wet nether lips, gently spreading them with two nimble fingers, a third softly rubbing long, even strokes in his slick along his labia as he flopped onto his bed. His other hand twisting at the hem of his shirt, yanking it up to his nose, and breathing in Keith’s scent that clung to the sweaty fabric. Slowly he circled his entrance, letting his thumb brush against the base of his cock as he did so. He gasped Keith's name as he slipped the two long fingers into himself, head falling back against the mattress and doing nothing to mask his groans, bitterly hoping Keith could hear him through their shared wall. He caught the fabric of his shirt in his teeth so his hand could tease at his nipple the way Keith’s had earlier, though the sensation wasn’t nearly right enough to bring the full electric jolt it had earlier. The pads of his fingers were much too soft, moisturizing be damned this one time, unlike Keith’s. God he loved Keith’s hands! The very thought of getting those strong, rough hands on him again made him tremble with desire.

Lance gently ground his hips to match the thrusting of his fingers, poorly simulating the feeling of grinding against Keith’s thigh. He was thankful the alpha had scented him so heavily, the musky scent filling his lungs with every desperate pant, even if the touch portion of his masturbating was lacking a certain…Fiery individual. It didn’t take much effort to get himself back to the edge, he added two more fingers and whined at the stretch. It was more than he was used to, admittedly, but even if he hadn’t seen it, he knew Keith was packing! He swore to himself he’d spend the next several weeks getting ready for it should Keith ever snap out of whatever pity party he was throwing for himself and fuck him like he like he wanted. The stretch, though more than what his tight omega pussy was used to, still wasn’t quite enough to send him over the edge. He groaned loudly, begging the air for the alpha like he was praying. In the haze of trying too hard to match Keith’s earlier ministrations and failing, his free hand wandered up to his swollen scent gland. He pinched it hard between his thumb and index finger.

The sudden and intense jolt of electricity was exactly what he needed. He came screaming Keith’s name, back jumping off the mattress as his body shivered violently with his duel climax, walls fluttering around his fingers and cock twitching. Lance could hardly breathe, he felt frozen in this bliss for what felt like an eternity, but the reality was mere seconds before he collapsed in a boneless heap. He slowly withdrew his hand from himself, wiping his hand on his shirt unceremoniously. His quiet mind drifted in the afterglow, and he found himself wishing the alpha could see him now and know he did this to the omega, and understand Lance’s feelings.

As the afterglow subsided, he felt a painful pang of loneliness creep up his body from his toes to his scalp, settling in his lungs. His skin pricked with goosebumps as the resounding chill worked its way from his lungs and around his tired body. He felt far too cold without Keith there. Not just because Keith was both literally and figuratively hot, but the warmth of affection and belonging was missing here. Sure Lance and Keith’s relationship wasn’t dripping with affection the same way as they were with the others, but it was theirs. They had their own special way of showing each other affection, and Lance really…really wanted that right now. He wanted Keith, his Keith, close to him and if he thought about it too much, tears would begin to blur his vision, and he swore he wouldn’t cry over that stupid, mulleted fashion disaster! Especially not after a pretty fantastic climax!

Lance rolled onto his side and less than gracefully wiggled so he could pull his filthy shirt off, balling it up and bringing it close to his nose. Keith’s scent was like wood smoke and amber, warm and musky. It brought fantasies of bonfires and stargazing with his favorite alpha, that had warmth press back against the cold, before being snuffed out by the cooling mess between Lance's legs.

Lance sighed. How could he get that stubborn idiot to understand that Lance wanted him in every possible way? That Lance wanted so badly to help him through his rut…every rut Keith would ever have ever and more? That he wished he could be Keith’s mate? He wanted Keith to understand, now more than ever, that he knew the risks when they started to train earlier, and he had sort of hoped that what had happened would happen. That he wanted it to jump them from semi-friends to way more than friends, not bar them from ever being close again! And he knew, with a huff of aggravation, that whatever they had was being put on hold immediately, because there was no way Keith would forgive himself for this. Just when Lance was hoping he would let go a little, let those walls down and allow Lance close. Lance glared daggers at the wall that separated him and Keith until his eyes fell on his abused shirt once more. On the bright side, he supposed, he had a gift from the alpha to serve as a reminder of “the Good Times”. Or was it, “the Good Time”?

Lance supposed he would just have to stow his shitty “gift” away until his next heat when the soiled shirt would provide him with enough to play out a few fantasies before only smelling of Lance once more. Lance remembered a vague health class that pushed the moral value of only courting pairs presenting scented clothing like this during heats and ruts, drawn up from the recesses of his mind by simple word association. Who was it that really pushed the courting discussion? Mrs.Holm? Yeah…Had to have been… As she had put it, courtship is an important social structure, but Lance never quite felt that way, given his large pack upbringing. That was more of a small pack thing-…Oh!

Just then, an idea dawned on him that had him jumping out of bed and throwing on his robe. He quickly gathered up his messy shirt, and with the flash of a devious smirk at himself in his mirror, brought it between his legs and cleaned his drying mess with it, making sure both his cock and his omega slit were nice and toweled off until the fabric reeked of what he had done.

Quietly he padded out of his room, and to Keith’s door, shirt grasped firmly in his hands. Hell, he didn’t have much of a plan, but he figured if omegas like to be given favors during their heats and receive scented clothing during courtship, then why not try it the other way ‘round? After all…Keith did say he wanted to be better than some “rut-mad alpha”, and Mrs.Holm sure tried to make Lance believe an alpha who courts and waits until marriage to bond was better than that. Aaaaaand…Well, Keith didn’t exactly have a family. His only family, as far as Lance knew, was Shiro, and Shiro was pretty old fashioned. So he figured this was worth a shot!

He folded the shirt up as nicely as he could manage for being covered in more bodily fluids than he cared for, eyes darting up and down the hallway before placing it on the floor in front of Keith’s door. He swiftly knocked loudly on the door, mimicking Shiro’s signature knock, before bolting for his room, knowing the older alpha would be the only person Keith would open his door for right now.

Lance ducked into his doorway, peeking around the corner to see what would happen. After a few tics, the door slid open. He heard Keith groan audibly and catch himself against the door frame. A few more tics passed before the shirt was snatched up by the alpha, the door slamming shut in an instant. Lance smiled triumphantly, hoping that finally got the message across.

-

Keith sat across from the omega awkwardly in the Paladin’s living room. His rut had passed several days earlier, but he was just now bringing himself to confront Lance with what had happened. His ears felt hot, and he tried not to squirm under Lance’s taunting gaze. His fingers rung at the clean, but lightly scented shirt he had sitting in his lap. Finally, he couldn’t take it any longer, and tossed the shirt at Lance.

“Thanks.” was all Keith could mutter.

Lance snickered a bit at Keith’s flustered display, and brought the shirt to his nose, humming approvingly at its scent. “So are you returning the favor?”

Keith nearly choked but kept his composure and ground out, “Yes.”

“You’re returning my favor as a favor?” Lance asked, expression suddenly one of surprising vulnerability for being so cocky a second before. The way his eyebrows knit together in uncertainty pulled at Keith’s heartstrings. Did the “Lover Boy” Lance fear rejection? For a moment, Keith didn’t think he could manage a reply, but when the look in Lance’s eyes turned from vulnerability towards pain and panic, the words forced themselves out.

“We’re courting, aren’t we? That’s-…That’s what you wanted, right?”

It was Lance’s turn to be flustered. A deep blush settled in his cheeks as a goofy smile spread wide across his face, his hands clutching at the shirt. He started nodding so fast, Keith almost wondered if his head was going to pop off like a broken bobble head. “Yes! Yes, I am- I mean we are! But only if you want to! I want to! I want to a lot! Cause I like you! A lot! I was worried that last week would ruin my chances! I’m so-so glad it didn’t! You have no idea!”

Keith winced at the mention of the previous week, and Lance stopped rambling almost immediately. “Yeah…About last week.” Keith started, eyes on the floor, on the space between them. It felt safe, the distance, especially with what he had to say. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for losing myself to my instincts, and I’m sorry for freaking out afterwards. That was the last thing I ever wanted to have happen. Consent means a great deal to me. I don’t like doing anything without having explicit consent, and I was so out of my mind I never once asked if it was okay. Even if you wanted it, and even if you liked it, it still matters to me, because I don’t want to feed into those stereotypes. I lost control, and that can’t be tolerated. Courting before mating preferences aside, that cannot be tolerated, Lance.”

“Keith…”

“I know. I know you’ll say you wanted it to happen, just like you did that day, but I’m still-…” Keith didn’t say the last word. He didn’t have to. Lance knew how he felt, and knew that trying to brush it off wouldn’t help.

Lance carefully stood up, and closed the distance between them, sitting down next to Keith, and gently taking his hand and pulling the alpha’s attention away from the floor. “I appreciate that you care so much about taking things slow and getting explicit consent, Keith. You don’t have to be afraid of yourself though, because I’m not scared of you. I trusted you not hurt me or go too far, and you didn’t. You didn’t hurt me, and I’m not mad at you for losing control when you were on edge. Especially since I taunted you.” He gave Keith’s hand a squeeze. “I’m sorry about that by the way…Taunting you. I shouldn’t have done that. I knew your rut was coming, and I of took advantage of that and didn’t think about your feelings. I also didn’t give clear consent about what I wanted, which I am really sorry for. If I had, maybe you wouldn’t feel this way…”

Keith looked down at their hands, thumb brushing over Lance’s knuckles, bruised from their most recent battle he presumed, as he mulled over what Lance had said. He felt a weight lift from his shoulders, and found it easier to breathe now that Lance understood where he was coming from. He didn’t exactly agree that Lance should apologize, since he didn’t feel like he was taken advantage of, but he appreciated the thought all the same. It made him feel light and warm, to have someone hear him and accept his feelings, even the negative ones. Not many people in Keith’s life did that, he could count them on one hand.

“Plus you have my explicit consent to do that again anytime. Like, pick me up, pin me down, and go to town!!!”

Aaaaand somehow Lance managed to ruin a perfectly good bonding moment between them. Keith swore, if he didn’t absolutely adore the other paladin, he would’ve smacked him so fucking hard for killing the vibe. Lucky for Lance, Keith found his helpless fit of giggles cute enough to quell most of his anger.

“Sooooo does this mean we’re boyfriends now?” Lance asked, lacing his fingers with Keith’s, and giving the alpha a hopeful smile.

Keith let out a sigh, once again annoyed by the dorky omega that he was hopelessly falling further and further for by the minute. “Yeah…I guess we’re boyfriends.”

“Whoa there, Mullet. Keep the enthusiasm to a minimum or else you might explode.” Lance said, dramatic pout prominent in his voice, then that radiant smile returned once more. “After all, you get to kiss me now.”

Keith squeezed Lance’s hand. “My head would not explode from enthusiasm. Plus, I’ve already kissed you.”

Lance groaned, rolling his eyes. “Seriously? C’mon man, it was a hyperbole! And there’s more than one kind of kiss you know.”

“There is?” Keith asked, making Lance turn towards him so fast, unable to tell if Keith was serious or not. “Show me.”

Lance flushed and coughed to clear his throat. “If-If this is your way of asking for kisses from your boyfriend, you need to take a page from your book and ask clearly, and give your explicit consent, because I don’t need you freaking out aga-“

“Would you shut up and kiss me already?” Keith groaned, head falling back against the couch cushions in mock agitation, grin plastered to his face.

“See? Now you know how I feel!” Lance teased, leaning against the back of the couch so he could see Keith's face.

"I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?" Keith asked, eyebrow quirking.

Lance let out a soft, breathy laugh, just like he had on that day. That special laugh that Keith adored to pieces. "I'll let you know when the debt is paid."

"How do I pay the debt?"

"Like this." Lance said before leaning down and kissing Keith softly. He broke the kiss before adding, "Or you could always take me up to the training deck, get your ass handed to you, maybe make out with me on the training deck floor, before racing to one of our rooms for a continuation of where we left of."

"Lance, I swear to God..."


End file.
